Everything was Wrapped in Brown Paper: The Old Shops of Port Blandford

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Edited by Katherine Harvey & Terra Barrett
Oral History Roadshow Series #003
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Intangible Cultural Heritage Office
St. John’s, NL, Canada
Layout / design by Jessie Meyer
2017
EVERYTHING WAS
WRAPPED IN
BROWN PAPER
The Old Shops of Port Blandford
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Introduction
Thanks to the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador,
The New Horizons for Seniors and Terra Barrett and Katherine
Harvey for rewarding us with the opportunity to document and
tell some yarns of our stores from the early days of Port Blandford.
The Port Blandford Heritage Society Inc. held its first public
meeting in March of 2013 and committed to researching,
preserving and promoting the history of Port Blandford so as to
share the knowledge with current and former residents, people
interested in the community, and future generations. Our major
accomplishment has been the researching and production of
twelve storyboards that depict some of our history, the purchasing
of a railway speeder and the building of a speeder shed, some work
on the town’s logging and sawmilling history, working towards
memorializing those who served in World War I and World War
II, and of course, telling the stories of our shops and stores.
It is difficult to document, with certainty, the shops of Port
Blandford. Many families owned stores from the 1920s to our
present day gas bars/convenience stores. We have been able
to document more than forty stores, some of these changed
ownerships several times, some were passed along to family
members, and others expanded with a larger, or a second store.
Calvin Efford VICE-CHAIR
PORT BLANDFORD HERITAGE SOCIETY
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Roland Greening and Son Limited. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
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1998 calendar from Roland Greening and Son Ltd. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
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METHODOLOGY
Terra and I arrived in Port Blandford on a sunny afternoon in
August 2017. The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and
Labrador, in collaboration with the Port Blandford Heritage
Society, had organized an Oral History Night in order to meet
locals who remembered the old shops, and to get a sense of who
would be best to interview. Fortunately, the community’s Green
Team, which consisted of Tyler Chatman, Calista Greening,
Brittany Holloway, and Jillian Skiffington, had conducted
preliminary research and an oral history interview prior to
our arrival, so the groundwork had been laid. Over the course
of the trip, Terra and I completed half a dozen interviews,
collected old photographs, and immersed ourselves in the com-munity’s
history.
This project is part of the Oral History Roadshow which aims
to empower and encourage seniors to showcase their memories
through a series of oral history night celebrations. Everything
was Wrapped in Brown Paper: The Old Shops of Port Blandford
developed as a result of several conversations with the Port
Blandford Heritage Society. Calvin Efford, Vice-Chair with
the Heritage Society, contacted the Heritage Foundation
about capturing and preserving memories of the local shops
and owners. We decided an oral history event with follow up
interviews and background research would be an excellent way
to showcase these stories.
According to the locals, there were three main shops in Port
Blandford: D. Pelley Limited, Roland Greening and R.E.
Powell’s. Over the years, a variety of other small convenience
stores existed, but they were on a much smaller scale. Shops
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and stores were a vital part of small communities in rural
Newfoundland in the past. They served as a social space where
people would meet to chat and gossip. They were often at the
heart of communities. This booklet encompasses some of those
positive memories of years gone by, and demonstrates the
importance of local shops throughout time.
Katherine Harvey
METHODOLOGY
Port Blandford community mug up. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
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LIST OF
Port Blandford
SHOPS
In addition to the shops outlined throughout this booklet, The
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the
Port Blandford Heritage Society have compiled a more complete
list of shops that existed in the community over the years. If you
have any information on these places, please contact the Port
Blandford Heritage Society.
• Adams Irving (1980s-2000)
• Aquilla & Mary Barnes (1960s)
• Carmichael
• Corner Stop (2000-present)
• Courage
• Davis’ Supermarket (c. 1960s)
• Efford’s Irving (1980s)
• Ford’s (c. 1950)
• Annie Garrett (c. 1936)
• Wanda Garrett (1998-2013)
• Druce and Noah Greening
• Ella and Tom Greening (early 1960s)
• Stella Greening (1960s)
• Roland Greening (1942-1997)
• Hayley’s
• Amy Best/Simon Holloway
• Clara Keats
• Bob & Clara Keats
• Elihu Layden
• Gertie Lock (1960s)
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LIST OF
Port Blandford
SHOPS
• Edith Matthews (1960s)
• Blanche Mugford (late 1940s-early 1950s)
• Robert Oakley
• Samuel Oakley (c.1920)
• Ted & Dot Parrott (c.1982)
• Andy Peddle
• Annie Peddle (1960s)
• Ida Peddle (1990s - ?)
• Mattie Peddle (1980s)
• D. Pelley Ltd (1920-late 1970s)
• R. E. Powell
• Walter and Eva Reid (late 1940s-early 1950s)
• Rance Rowsell
• R & B Electric (1990 -1994) Rowena & Brian Goodman
• Frank Stares (late 1800s-early 1900s)
• Andrew McCoubrey Stares (c.1906)
• Johnny Stares (pre 1947)
• Ern Stead (pre 1942)
• Frederick Steads (c.1890s)
• Alex Stone
• Joseph Stone (late 1800s-early 1900s)
• James & Clara Troke (c.1936)
• Susie Webber (? - 1960s)
• Gertie White
• Grace White/Mary White (1977-1984)
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Information collected by the Port Blandford Heritage Society.
Map layout by Michael Philpott. 2017.
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ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
Roland Greening started his first store in 1942. The shop was
approximately 28’ x 30’, and was previously owned by Ern Stead
who had operated a small store from this location. Roland sold
mostly groceries at his shop, and later, he began selling Kerosene
and coal. Around Christmas, a small order of dry goods was
received as well. He had one cashier working for him at the time.
After ten years of business at this location, Roland had another,
larger shop built about 150 feet from the original store on the
Main Road. His business expanded, and with this so did the
variety of items he sold. He began selling Pepsi and Suncrest
products, cigarettes and tobacco, beer, dry goods, hardware,
footwear and electrical appliances. At this point he had four
cashiers employed at his shop. For a period of time he operated
another store, near the present post office, in combination with
his main business.
The store was incorporated as Roland Greening & Sons Ltd. in
1985. Roland ran the store until he became ill in 1995. His son,
Dexter, and his wife, Sarah, then took over the business which
they ran until 1997.
The store was later sold to Wanda Garrett, and became Wanda’s
Convenience in 1998. She operated this location until 2013.
“[Mr. Greening] started his first store in September of 1942. He
started with $300, and he stocked the store with $300. So then
after that he grew. He had most of his stuff come by railway from
T&M Winter Ltd. in St. John’s. So that’s how they stocked it then,
but as time progressed, we ordered from the salesmen that would
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ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
come to the store, and the trucks would come and deliver in
later years, from different wholesalers.” –Sarah Greening
“I remember the inside of Roland Greening’s . . . you went in
and there was a counter. Now they didn’t have an upstairs, not
that I can ever remember. It was just food . . . There were a few
other things there but not like Pelley’s. Pelley’s was the big
one.” –Reginald Penney
“This artifact I brought in here, that was a rack that the paper
roll went on. We had to wrap parcels first when I started at
the store. Everything had to be wrapped and tied with a piece
Roland Greening’s c. 1964. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
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ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
of string, and then break off the piece of string. Everything was
wrapped in brown paper.” –Sarah Greening
“The store is located next to a graveyard. We had one lady that
worked, and she would never work on Friday night. She didn’t
want to work on Friday night, she didn’t like it there because we
were next to the graveyard and she said she used to hear noises .
. . knocking noises and stuff.” –Sarah Greening
“First when we operated, you’d never hear tell of a break-in.
That was out of the question. We never had a break-in until we
started selling beer, and we had several then. They would break
Paper roll holder from Roland Greening’s. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
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ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
into the warehouse and steal so many dozen beer. But that would
be it, they wouldn’t wreck stuff. They’d just break the door open
somehow and get their beer and that would be it, until the next
time.” –Sarah Greening
“I was sad when we closed. I had been there a long time. I went
there in ‘65 and we closed in ‘95, that was thirty years. So it was
sad when that happened. We would have liked to keep it going but
it was just impossible to keep it going. Couldn’t afford to be paying
clerks, and it was too big to do ourselves.” –Sarah Greening
Wanda’s Convenience. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
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D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
Daniel Pelley arrived in Port Blandford in 1900 from Trinity
Bay. Daniel’s son, Bart, who would later take over the Pelley
enterprise, was born in 1908. Daniel began building the Pelley
empire in 1901 when he established a sawmill at Port Blandford.
Between 1906 and 1919 he built four schooners. He established
his first store in Southwest in 1920. In 1936, he moved locations.
His business later expanded to Benton and Lewisporte.
D. Pelley Ltd. was the largest shop in the community, selling
everything from groceries, to dry goods, furniture and lumber.
The Pelleys remained a prominent family in the community for
many years. D. Pelley Ltd. operated until the 1970s when Bart
Pelley passed away.
D. Pelley’s. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
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D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
“Oh it was always neat because when you walked in there was
always a counter there, and there was always people like cutting
cheese or wrapping up ham or slicing ham. They would have
the big sheets of paper, hauling it off, and the roll of string, and
they would be wrapping it up and tying it around, or they would
be filling up boxes. So you would look around downstairs, and it
was all groceries. Then you could go upstairs and wander around
by yourself. So if you wanted something, you went downstairs
and then somebody went up with you to serve you, or sometimes
when you went up there there might be someone up there serving
someone else. But it was always kind of nice to go upstairs because
you could always poke around and see all kinds of different things,
and you could try on high heel shoes then and nobody could see
you because you were only young and you weren’t allowed to
have them, but you can try them on because there was nobody
else up there. So we would all go up and walk around in high heel
shoes thinking we were wonderful. Fashion was upstairs. Food
downstairs and fashion upstairs.” –Linda Bennett
“Joyce, Marie, Ina, Doris, and me [worked at D. Pelley Ltd.] . . .
We all kind of served anybody and if they wanted to go upstairs
then we went up. And we had to draw up kerosene oil, had to go
outdoors in a little place. If anyone wanted kerosene oil we had
to go out and draw up a gallon or two, whatever they wanted.
Then the store across the road was a place for storing things,
and a lot of times we had to go over there. They had furniture
and floor covering and even caskets. I used to be afraid to go
over there.” –Patsy Peddle
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“There was a crowd from Bunyan’s Cove and Charlottetown. The
men came up for their winter supplies of everything. My first day
there was the day they came up. Needless to say I was petrified so
I had one man served and partway through the groceries he said,
‘I want to go upstairs my dear.’ And I said, ‘Okay, fine.’ So we were
halfway up the stairs and he said, ‘My dear, I want some underwear
for my wife.’ Well I said, ‘Okay sir. What size do you want?’ ‘Oh,’ he
said, ‘The size that fit miss arse.’ I just about died. So I said, ‘Okay. If
I get through this I might make it.’ So we went downstairs, and we
still had the groceries because they had a winter’s supply. He was
at it and later on my brother came along and he called him by name
and he said, ‘You know you’re going to have to hurry up. We close
at six.’ Now this was nine o’clock in the morning. So anyway my
brother took him out in the back, we had barrels of beef out there
and he got his beef for him and he helped me get him situated. I
finally got out with the rest at six o’clock.” –Patsy Peddle
“Well going into Pelley’s store - it had a character. Sort of old
fashioned, the counters and shelves lining the walls and down in
the back was an office where the owners seemed to be always in
there. The clerks, of course, who worked there, and the face-to-face
relationship that you had with the clerks going into the store
is much more personal than it is today because you would ask the
clerk, or I would anyhow, perhaps if you were looking for something
and they would go and get it and put it on the counter and check it
out for you. Not with a computer or even a calculator or, I’m not sure
what they used then, but I’m sure the brain was used in a different
way than it is today by the clerks. And the scales, of course, for
weighing things on the counter. Weighing meats and bologna,
things like that. So the store itself had a different atmosphere.
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
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There were no aisles as you would see in the supermarket type
places we have today. Most groceries were in shelves built in the
back or on the sides of the store, and in the back there might be
some dry goods articles, nails, screws and things like that. Maybe
some clothing as well, boots. But Pelley’s store certainly had a
great influence on Port Blandford over the years because they
were the main merchants. You know people - not only living here
in Port Blandford but outlining communities relied on Pelley’s for
whatever they needed. A credit system was certainly used. Not the
cash and carry as we have today.” –Reginald Penney
“My dear, I was there for a while and the phone rang and I
answered the phone and this customer said, ‘Have you got any
beer cappers down there?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m sorry.’ ‘Are you
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
D. Pelley Ltd. c. 1940 with Mary Greening, Frank Garrett; & Gertrude “Gertie”
Guppy out front. Photo courtesy Pansy Leyden.
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sure you’ve got no beer cappers?’ ‘No I’m sorry.’ ‘Well now,’
she said, ‘That’s a funny thing because people told me Pelley’s
had beer cappers in quart bottles.’ And I said, ‘Oh! You wanted
bakeapples.’ ‘Yes, yes my dear. That’s what I wanted.’ ‘Oh,’ I said,
‘I’m sorry. We do have bakeapples here.’ I was thinking about a
beer capper, and then when she said in the bottles, all of a sudden
[it clicked].” –Patsy Peddle
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
Viola Greening behind counter at Pelley’s c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
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R.E. POWELLS
(1915- ?)
Roland Ewart Powell came to Port Blandford as a Game Warden,
presumably in the early to mid-1940s. After the death of Johnny
Stares in 1947, he married Pearl, Johnny’s widow, in June of 1948.
Johnny and Pearl’s store was attached to their home, which was
renamed R.E. Powell after the two were married.
The Powells were general dealers in Port Blandford, supplying
groceries, gas, glass, canvas and much more. Like other businesses
R.E. Powell’s. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
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of their time, supplies were delivered by train, until roads con-nected
Port Blandford to other towns and the goods began to
arrive via truck.
Powells was possibly the first business to operate a modern gas
pump at Port Blandford, having to start the diesel to pump gas
in a manner similar to today. Previous to this, gas and oil were
pumped by a manual pump, from a forty-five gallon drum, into
containers ranging in size from a gallon to five gallons.
A custom at Powells was that all feminine products were to be
wrapped and tied before being placed on the counter.
Although other stores may have cut glass for windows and
doors, several people distinctly remember going to Powells for
glass to repair a window or to build a new window or door.
One of the deceitful methods to bring additional revenue was
to have a piece of wood placed in the bottom of a gallon jug, that
was used to measure molasses. Molasses would cover the wood
and the customer was not aware of the lesser amount received.
Mr. Powell told this story to many people in his later years.
The Powells also operated a small farm and sold vegetables
to people in the area. Some of the workers would prepare their
lunch at the store. The vegetables were free, however, staff were
expected to pay for the meats because the vegetables came from
the farm but the meat had to be purchased by the store.
R.E. POWELLS
(1915- ?)
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HAYLEY’S
“I remember teenage years more than younger years. Younger
years, we stayed with my mother’s sister, and she passed away
when I was about twelve. Then after that then I stayed with my
other aunt, Aunt Triffie. I remember more those years because I
had another cousin, Linda Garrett and Audrey Blandford from
Gander, and they used to come to Port Blandford and I’d come. So
we would all get together, and we’d all walk down the road when
Peddle’s had their store, and Hayley’s had their store and their
movie theatre. We’d come and go to the movie at Hayley’s. Well it
wasn’t really a theatre it was kind of in their house. It wasn’t a big
theatre.” –Linda Bennett
Sarah Greening (left) and Linda Bennett (right). Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
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DAVIS’ SUPERMARKET
(1965-?)
“The best thing I liked about them, they were the first store that
had the carts, the grocery carts. And people would take a cart
Davis’ Supermarket.
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DAVIS’ SUPERMARKET
(1965-?)
Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
and go in and pick up their groceries, and all you had to do was
write it in the book.” –Mary White
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MARY’S CONVENIENCE
(1977-1984)
“The store I had, first it was a restaurant. It was opened in ‘64. Then
after the restaurant closed up I turned it into a grocery store and
that was back in ‘77. So I had the store until ‘84.” –Mary White
“When I had the store, my kids were only small. I remember one
little one used to come out and there was a drawer there and
they’d pull out the drawer and lie down and go to sleep. But they
used to help, when they got bigger, they used to help stack the
shelves and that.” –Mary White
“I remember when I used to have a pail of salt pork I used to
always phone [Evelyn’s] father when I opened a pail of salt pork.
He used to come over and get his salt pork. He’d have about ten
pounds. He loved his salt pork, didn’t he? He always wanted the
thickest piece in the barrell.” –Mary White & Evelyn Penney
Evelyn Penney and Mary White. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
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SUSIE WEBBER’S
(? - 1960S)
Susie Webber’s is believed to be one of the oldest houses in Port
Blandford, most likely built in the early 1900s. In the past, there
was a store attached to the house, but it has since been demolished.
Jake Efford remembers rolling a drum of kerosene from the
freight shed at Southwest to Susie’s store. He was paid twenty
cents for his help.
Jim Leyden recalls going to Susie’s store one day to purchase
something for his mother. He was owed a penny, but Susie didn’t
have the proper change. Jim decided he would ask for a kiss
instead of his change.
Edith Clouter remembers buying loose biscuits from a wooden
biscuit box at Susie’s Shop.
Susie Webber’s House. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
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FRANK & IDA PEDDLE’S
SNACK BAR
“[There were] two operations out of this building – Andy, the
father of Frank, operated a hangout with a pool table & games.
[He] sold a small amount of convenience items and beer. After his
retirement, probably mid 70-years-old, his daughter-in-law, Ida,
[and her husband] Frank ran it as a convenience store. This was
done out of the right side of the building.” –Calvin Efford
“You would go down and buy a bag of chips and a soft drink, or a bar
and a soft drink . . . There was music there. Sometimes there was coke
cartons and you could sit down for a while. It was kind of a hang out
and everybody went there after supper.” –Linda Bennett
Frank and Ida Peddle’s Snack Bar. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
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EARLY SHOPS
“The first known store at Clode Sound, in the late 1880s/early
1890s, was believed to be owned by the railway and run by a man
named Carmichael. It was thought to be located in the present
day wharf area. In the early 1890s, two other small stores, one
owned by Joseph Stone, formally from Catalina and the other by
Frank Stares, formally from Portland, B.B. operated in the same
general area. Fred Stead operated a store in the mid /late 1890s
until his death from a sawmill accident in 1899. These stores
carried basic items such as flour, sugar, and nails. The method
of payment was mostly on credit, paying their bills in the fall and
spring, or when the railway compensated the workers.
In 1903, Clode Sound was renamed Port Blandford and the next
reference to a store is in 1906, when on Oct.11th a wedding party
was held at the store of Mr. A.M. Stares.
In 1908, Lovell's Gazetteer of British North America has the
population of Port Blandford as 300 people with 2 stores.
The 1911, McAlpine’s Maritime and Newfoundland Gazetteer
records Port Blandford as a post and money order village in
Bonavista district, with 4 stores.” –Calvin Efford
“Mr. William Mitchell died suddenly at age 70. In 1892, he was
a storekeeper headquartered at Clode Sound.” –The Evening
Telegram, April 4, 1917
“Fire totally destroyed the hotel and store owned by Mr. S.R.
Oakley at Port Blandford (under management by Mr. J.R.
Courage).” – The Evening Telegram, March 20, 1922
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COMMUNITY SHOPS
“Right by the corner of School Road, Frank and Ida Peddle, they
used to have a snack bar there. We used to go down there in the
nighttime. I can remember going to Roland Greening’s store, and
I can remember I used to love to go to Pelley’s store when we came
down because they had upstairs, and you could go upstairs and
they would have all the shoes. You could try on shoes, and it was
really fun to go to Pelley’s. That was one of my favourite stores.
We didn’t go to Powell’s store a whole lot, but I can remember the
store that Sid and Edith Matthews had up in southwest. I don’t
really know what the name of the store was but the nickname of
the store that everybody used to call it was the Big Six. They used
to have just a little convenience store where you could buy little
candies and chips and soft drinks and things like that. I can’t
remember that one a whole lot. I can remember that one a little bit.
But Pelley’s was the big store I remember most.” –Linda Bennett
“[In 1971 there was] D. Pelley Limited. Pelley’s store which was
the biggest store, the main one. They carried groceries, dried
good, odds and ends. Just a bit of everything I guess. And there
was Roland Greening’s, Ida Peddle’s, Mary White’s, Stella
Greening’s. There may have been a couple of smaller ones that
I just can’t recall right now but these were the main ones. So
probably six or seven.” –Reginald Penney
“I can remember Frank and them had that take out or the
snack bar, and I remember Powell’s and Pelley’s and Roland
Greening’s. Oh, and Gertie Lock used to have a store on the top
of Lock’s Hill and I can remember going in there a few times.
I’m sure there were more than that but those are the only ones I
can remember.” –Linda Bennett
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COMMUNITY SHOPS
“Sometimes people would have a little store that would be
attached to the house that they lived in. I guess you would call it
convenience stores today. There are two or three that stand out
here that weren’t stand alone stores they were attached to the
house that the person owned.” –Reginald Penney
“Ida Peddle’s, that was one that stands out. From a teaching
point of view, I remember that the school that I taught in, Roland
Greening’s store was not far from the school. So back then there
wasn’t the structure that there is today with meals in school, so
very often at recess time students would run down to the store
and come back with their junk food or whatever they wanted
to buy for recess. The rules weren’t quite the same as where
students could go and couldn’t go like you would have now. It was
a much more relaxed atmosphere.” –Reginald Penney
Josie Pardy & Joyce Clouter c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
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SHOPS AS
COMMUNITY HELPERS
“If [Roland Greening’s] ran out of butter or milk, just send up to
the other store and they’d lend us one until we got our shipment
in. It was good.” –Sarah Greening
“Mr. Bart Pelley, he was the owner and operator, although he
had his office manager, who was a sweetheart, Aunt Lossie.
They were the kindest people ever. I remember when I was about
ten, my dad had to go into the sanitarium in St. John’s, he had
tuberculosis, and it was just mom and I, my brother hadn’t been
born then and my sister was in the hospital . . . so when my dad
went into the sanitarium he was in there eleven months. And
at that time there was no welfare, you couldn’t run out and get
welfare every two weeks. So it was just Mom and I, and with the
relatives we had and Mr. Bart Pelley, we survived. My mom said,
many times, that we would have starved to death if it wasn’t for
Mr. Pelley.” –Sarah Greening
Employee’s of D. Pelley Ltd. Back row, left to right: Marie Greening (White), Lossie Harris,
Ina Harris (Hoskins). Front row, left to right – Patsy Peddle (Greening), Joyce Clouter
(Adams), Doris Peddle. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
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THINGS WE SOLD
“We had to cut our own cheese. There was a big round cheese
cutter for cutting with. The blade came down in the middle and
we had to cut off whatever cheese we wanted and then we would
wrap it in wax paper and weigh it up and then that would be
ready. When we got ready then we would mark it in the book for
whoever wanted it.” –Patsy Peddle
“Apples, I suppose and oranges. Maybe bananas as time went
on. I’m not sure about any other [fruit]. Grapes maybe. But
certainly not the variety that you would have in the super-market
now.” –Reginald Penney
“You could buy some types of clothing, footwear, and paint.
Some building supplies, hardware, [and] some basic necessities.
Plumbing supplies. Pelley’s in particular. Electrical, things like
that. As time went on these things increased, the amount you
could buy like that because there wasn’t as much need for it back
years ago.” –Reginald Penney
“We used to have to skin the cheese, the big round one. It used
to be into a cabinet, and you’d have this big cleaver, come down
and cut out the piece like you want right? And we had these big
slabs of bacon. Bacon was in long slabs. We used to put that into
a cutter and slice it off. And we’d do that with our ham. One
would be cutting it and the other would be packing it in wax
paper and wrapping it up, putting it on the tray and carrying it
in the fridge.” –Viola Greening & Joyce Clouter
“I can remember Mr. Greening ordering in fresh salmon, that was
a big thing then. When he’d have fresh salmon in, people would
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THINGS WE SOLD
Carnation milk and brown paper roll. Colin Greening and Jackson Greening. Photo
courtesy Joyce Clouter.
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THINGS WE SOLD
Weight Scales that were used at D. Pelley’s. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
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THINGS WE SOLD
have their orders in. ‘I need two pound, I need three pound.’ I
used to hate those days. We used to have to cut up the salmon,
weigh it and wrap it up.” –Sarah Greening
“In the early days, [Mr. Greening] used to sell coal. Because
everybody burned coal in their stoves, along with their wood.”
–Sarah Greening
“We used to have to weigh up coconut, everything like that
we’d have to put in little bags and weigh it. Walnuts, cherries
. . . anybody wanted a pound you’d put it in until you got to the
pound and if you went over the pound you’d have to take it out.”
–Viola Greening & Joyce Clouter
“Basically everything [was sold at Roland Greening’s], except
then there was no frozen foods because there was no fridges. No
electricity in Port Blandford at that time. So it was mostly canned
foods. They did sell bologna and cheese. I remember the bologna
used to come in boxes and it was packed in salt. They had dried
goods, basic things, towels, face cloths, cup towels and underwear
for women and men and children. Babies clothes.” –Evelyn Penney
“[Pelley’s] used to sell kerosene oil, and that’s one of the things
that I hated to do. Mom would give me this can about that
high. I’d have to walk, you know, where the hill is, down over
the hill. I’d have to walk from my house, out over the hill and
up to Pelley’s, bring down a can of kerosene oil for the lamps.
That was a vivid memory for me of Pelley’s store. They also had
delivery but mom wouldn’t send up just to get a can of oil, I had
to go do it. ” –Sarah Greening
37
“There might have been powdered milk, but you couldn’t buy
fresh milk. Bought that from the farmers then. There was no
fresh milk. Now in the later years that I worked there there were
of course, but not back in the beginning. There was canned milk,
that’s how we fed all our babies. Carnation.” –Sarah Greening
Viola Greening (left) and Joyce Clouter (right). Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
THINGS WE SOLD
38
STORE HOURS
“[Roland Greening’s was] usually 9-5. And they’d open probably
on a Friday night . . . we never opened on Sundays because Mr.
Greening was kind of a religious man. He didn’t want that. So we
still worked Monday to Saturday. Saturday we were open. But that
was it.” –Sarah Greening
“You worked 9am - 6pm on weekdays, and 9am - 9pm on Sat-urdays.”
–Joyce Clouter
Josie Pardy c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
39
RECEIVING PRODUCTS
“In the beginning, when
Mr. Greening started,
he used to have his su-pplies
come up from
the station. He used to
order it from St. John’s,
it would come by train,
and he would have to go
up to the station with
horse and cart, and
bring it to the store.”
–Sarah Greening
“Of course, all those stores depended on trucks that would
come from larger centres to supply them with their groceries
and things they needed to sell in store, and you don’t see as
much of that today. Different trucks that would drive from
Conception Bay or wherever to supply the stores. Stop to the
store and drop off whatever they needed in terms of groceries
keep them stocked I suppose.” –Reginald Penney
“National Wholesalers in Corner Brook was a big dry goods
supplier that we used to buy from. And there were several in St.
John’s. And Atlantic groceries, in the last few years, were our
sole supplier of groceries.” –Sarah Greening
Warren Miles c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
40
HOME DELIVERY
“[In 1971] Pelley’s still had
a man who used to deliver
groceries to people’s homes.
They would phone in their
order and he would drive
around in his truck and drop
off their groceries. I suppose
seniors more so than other
people but yeah that was still
done.” –Reginald Penney
“[People] would buy their
groceries once a week, and if
they ran out they’d be coming
to get more. We used to take
orders, pack orders, and
then the delivery men would
deliver it to their door. They
wouldn’t come to the store.
Lots of times they wouldn’t
come to the store. They’d phone in their order, and we’d go pack
the order. Then the guy who was on delivery would take it to their
house.” –Viola Greening & Joyce Clouter
“[Pelley’s] had a delivery man. My brother Jackson Greening and
there was Ron Holloway and Alfred Tucker. That wasn’t all the
same time but on different years.” –Patsy Peddle
Jackson Greening c. 1960.
Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
41
CREDIT SYSTEM
“Usually people would come to us when they were on the
unemployment in the Winter and had no money, so we would
charge to them, which they couldn’t do in Clarenville. Then in
the springtime when they’d go back to work, they’d go back to
Clarenville and get their groceries again.” –Sarah Greening
Irene Pardy & Viola Greening c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
42
CREDIT SYSTEM
“We had to write it all down in a bill book. There was a cash
register but these people had their winter supply and then they
came in the spring and paid for it. You could ring in a sale on it
and that was it. The bills went out on the end of each month. The
bill would be sent out for them to pay for it.” –Patsy Peddle
“People would come get their groceries, and we would charge
it up to them in a bill book like this. And when they get their
cheque or whatever in two weeks time, or a month’s time,
sometimes we’d extend it to a month, usually a month. Then
they’d come pay for their month’s groceries and then they’d
order up again.” –Sarah Greening
“[When we had problems getting money from people] we’d just
say that they couldn’t have anything else. Mr. Greening, he was a
very kind man, and like he went to his grave and there’s still people
that own him money. But that’s just - you forget about that after a
period of time. There’s just no way to get the money and that’s it.
But usually most of them, when they knew they had to come back
and get other things they might pay $100 or $200, and finally they
would pay off their bill. Most people.” –Sarah Greening
“Most general/convenience stores opened ‘charge’ accounts for
customers. At the end of the month these were totaled and put
on a statement manually. As cash registers were only used for
cash sales, such things as sales tax had to be taken from these
books, all added together along with any sales tax on the cash
register. That would be the remittance to government for taxes
for that year.” –Sarah Greening
43
SHOP OWNERS
“Roland Greening, the man who owned the store, was the first
mayor of the town when I got involved [in municipal politics]
and after he stepped down after one term then I took his place
as mayor but I remember him quite well. So he was not only
a merchant but he was involved in the municipal part for a
while too.” –Reginald Penney
Roland Greening in front of his parent’s house c. 1960. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
44
SHOP OWNERS
[Mr. Pelley] was a good man, easy to get along with. I don’t think he
ever charged interest to anybody. He kept people supplied all winter
long and they’d pay like in the spring when they get work, and he
never charged interest or anything. He was good to everyone in
Port Blandford, even outside of Port Blandford, like Charlottetown
and Bunyan's Cove.” –Evelyn Penney & Mary White
Bart Pelley standing on his father, Dan Pelley’s,
shoulders. Photo courtesy Pansy Leyden.
45
SERVICE
“For the most part the clerks would pick up the items that a person
wanted to buy and lay them on the counter and check them out.
[In] ‘71 there may have been a little bit of self serve depending
on what you were looking for I guess. No shopping carts. I don’t
remember any shopping carts.” –Reginald Penney
“[Greening’s was] about the same as Pelley’s but on a smaller scale.
The counter, and the scales, and well they had freezers then for the
frozen food items and ice cream and things like that. You still had
to deal with the clerks face-to-face. I think you could maybe pick
up some of your things yourself in that store but most of the stores
were generally the same character type thing. It was personal.
That’s the thing I think that stands out the most is the personal
atmosphere that you had with the clerks and that. If you went in
you might have a chat about something else that was going on
besides picking up your grocery items. I’m sure there were lots of
bits and pieces of gossip exchanged.” –Reginald Penney
Reginald Penney. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
46
CUSTOMERS
“Usually [people] would come to the same store. Pelley’s had
their customers, we had ours. And like where people lived closer
would be where they would go.” –Sarah Greening
“Fred Higgins, every Saturday morning, he’d be down, wouldn’t
he? With his big list. Come stand up and say, ‘will you pack it?’
And [you’d] ring it in and he’d pay for it and it would go up on
delivery . . . and Reg Peddle, you’d always know what time he was
coming. Certain people like that you could almost set your clock
for when they’d come.” –Joyce Clouter
Patsy Peddle and Joyce Clouter c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
47
CHRISTMAS TIME
“Christmas was a big thing. We had a big shipment of Christ-mas
toys and things. And that went pretty well for a long period
of time until we got our Walmarts and different places in
Clarenville.” –Sarah Greening
“It used to be a bit busier at Christmas time. And that’s the time
you’d get your grapes, we always had the barrel apples, but grapes
was a specialty for Christmas.” –Evelyn Penney & Mary White
Front left to right: Patsy Peddle, Josie Pardy, Joyce Clouter. Back left to right: Irene
Pardy, Viola Greening. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
48
TODAY
“Well you get served faster now in stores, because back years ago
you had to write everything down in a bill book. But now you just
go fast through the computerized stuff. But everything is cash
now, debit or credit card.” –Evelyn Penney and Mary White
“We don’t have any stores now except for a couple of con-venience
and gas stores that operate basically on the TCH.”
–Reginald Penney
Don Blackmores Service Station and Restaurant c. 1960.
49
SPECIAL
Thanks
• Linda Bennett
• Tyler Chatman
• Joyce Clouter
• Calvin Efford
• Calista Greening
• Sarah Greening
• Viola Greening
• Brittany Holloway
• Patsy Peddle
• Evelyn Penney
• Reginald Penney
• Port Blandford Heritage Society
• Jillian Skiffington
• Mary White
Lossie Harris c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
50
The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is
a nonprofit organization which was established in 1984 to
stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the
architectural heritage of the province. The Foundation, an
invaluable source of information for historic restoration,
supports and contributes to the preservation and restora-tion
of buildings of architectural or historical significance.
The Heritage Foundation also has an educational role and
undertakes or sponsors events, publications and other pro-jects
designed to promote the value of our built heritage.
The Heritage Foundation is also involved in work designed
to safeguard and sustain the intangible cultural heritage
of Newfoundland and Labrador for present and future
generations everywhere, as a vital part of the identities
of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and as a valuable
collection of unique knowledge and customs. This is achieved
through policies that celebrate, record, disseminate, and
promote our living heritage.
51
The Oral History Roadshow is a project to empower
and encourage seniors to showcase their memories
through a series of public oral history night celebr-ations,
with funding provided through New Horizons
for Seniors.
Research and design made possible through the
Collective Memories Project, an initiative of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Heritage
Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, with
funding provided by the Department of Children,
Seniors and Social Development.
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador
1 Springdale Street
St. John’s, NL Canada A1C 5V5
Visit online and listen to audio recordings
of these stories, and more!
www.collectivememories.ca
1-888-739-1892
ISBN 978-1-988899-00-8

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

1
2
3
Edited by Katherine Harvey & Terra Barrett
Oral History Roadshow Series #003
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Intangible Cultural Heritage Office
St. John’s, NL, Canada
Layout / design by Jessie Meyer
2017
EVERYTHING WAS
WRAPPED IN
BROWN PAPER
The Old Shops of Port Blandford
4
Introduction
Thanks to the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador,
The New Horizons for Seniors and Terra Barrett and Katherine
Harvey for rewarding us with the opportunity to document and
tell some yarns of our stores from the early days of Port Blandford.
The Port Blandford Heritage Society Inc. held its first public
meeting in March of 2013 and committed to researching,
preserving and promoting the history of Port Blandford so as to
share the knowledge with current and former residents, people
interested in the community, and future generations. Our major
accomplishment has been the researching and production of
twelve storyboards that depict some of our history, the purchasing
of a railway speeder and the building of a speeder shed, some work
on the town’s logging and sawmilling history, working towards
memorializing those who served in World War I and World War
II, and of course, telling the stories of our shops and stores.
It is difficult to document, with certainty, the shops of Port
Blandford. Many families owned stores from the 1920s to our
present day gas bars/convenience stores. We have been able
to document more than forty stores, some of these changed
ownerships several times, some were passed along to family
members, and others expanded with a larger, or a second store.
Calvin Efford VICE-CHAIR
PORT BLANDFORD HERITAGE SOCIETY
5
Roland Greening and Son Limited. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
6
1998 calendar from Roland Greening and Son Ltd. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
7
METHODOLOGY
Terra and I arrived in Port Blandford on a sunny afternoon in
August 2017. The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and
Labrador, in collaboration with the Port Blandford Heritage
Society, had organized an Oral History Night in order to meet
locals who remembered the old shops, and to get a sense of who
would be best to interview. Fortunately, the community’s Green
Team, which consisted of Tyler Chatman, Calista Greening,
Brittany Holloway, and Jillian Skiffington, had conducted
preliminary research and an oral history interview prior to
our arrival, so the groundwork had been laid. Over the course
of the trip, Terra and I completed half a dozen interviews,
collected old photographs, and immersed ourselves in the com-munity’s
history.
This project is part of the Oral History Roadshow which aims
to empower and encourage seniors to showcase their memories
through a series of oral history night celebrations. Everything
was Wrapped in Brown Paper: The Old Shops of Port Blandford
developed as a result of several conversations with the Port
Blandford Heritage Society. Calvin Efford, Vice-Chair with
the Heritage Society, contacted the Heritage Foundation
about capturing and preserving memories of the local shops
and owners. We decided an oral history event with follow up
interviews and background research would be an excellent way
to showcase these stories.
According to the locals, there were three main shops in Port
Blandford: D. Pelley Limited, Roland Greening and R.E.
Powell’s. Over the years, a variety of other small convenience
stores existed, but they were on a much smaller scale. Shops
8
and stores were a vital part of small communities in rural
Newfoundland in the past. They served as a social space where
people would meet to chat and gossip. They were often at the
heart of communities. This booklet encompasses some of those
positive memories of years gone by, and demonstrates the
importance of local shops throughout time.
Katherine Harvey
METHODOLOGY
Port Blandford community mug up. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
9
LIST OF
Port Blandford
SHOPS
In addition to the shops outlined throughout this booklet, The
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the
Port Blandford Heritage Society have compiled a more complete
list of shops that existed in the community over the years. If you
have any information on these places, please contact the Port
Blandford Heritage Society.
• Adams Irving (1980s-2000)
• Aquilla & Mary Barnes (1960s)
• Carmichael
• Corner Stop (2000-present)
• Courage
• Davis’ Supermarket (c. 1960s)
• Efford’s Irving (1980s)
• Ford’s (c. 1950)
• Annie Garrett (c. 1936)
• Wanda Garrett (1998-2013)
• Druce and Noah Greening
• Ella and Tom Greening (early 1960s)
• Stella Greening (1960s)
• Roland Greening (1942-1997)
• Hayley’s
• Amy Best/Simon Holloway
• Clara Keats
• Bob & Clara Keats
• Elihu Layden
• Gertie Lock (1960s)
10
LIST OF
Port Blandford
SHOPS
• Edith Matthews (1960s)
• Blanche Mugford (late 1940s-early 1950s)
• Robert Oakley
• Samuel Oakley (c.1920)
• Ted & Dot Parrott (c.1982)
• Andy Peddle
• Annie Peddle (1960s)
• Ida Peddle (1990s - ?)
• Mattie Peddle (1980s)
• D. Pelley Ltd (1920-late 1970s)
• R. E. Powell
• Walter and Eva Reid (late 1940s-early 1950s)
• Rance Rowsell
• R & B Electric (1990 -1994) Rowena & Brian Goodman
• Frank Stares (late 1800s-early 1900s)
• Andrew McCoubrey Stares (c.1906)
• Johnny Stares (pre 1947)
• Ern Stead (pre 1942)
• Frederick Steads (c.1890s)
• Alex Stone
• Joseph Stone (late 1800s-early 1900s)
• James & Clara Troke (c.1936)
• Susie Webber (? - 1960s)
• Gertie White
• Grace White/Mary White (1977-1984)
11
Information collected by the Port Blandford Heritage Society.
Map layout by Michael Philpott. 2017.
12
ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
Roland Greening started his first store in 1942. The shop was
approximately 28’ x 30’, and was previously owned by Ern Stead
who had operated a small store from this location. Roland sold
mostly groceries at his shop, and later, he began selling Kerosene
and coal. Around Christmas, a small order of dry goods was
received as well. He had one cashier working for him at the time.
After ten years of business at this location, Roland had another,
larger shop built about 150 feet from the original store on the
Main Road. His business expanded, and with this so did the
variety of items he sold. He began selling Pepsi and Suncrest
products, cigarettes and tobacco, beer, dry goods, hardware,
footwear and electrical appliances. At this point he had four
cashiers employed at his shop. For a period of time he operated
another store, near the present post office, in combination with
his main business.
The store was incorporated as Roland Greening & Sons Ltd. in
1985. Roland ran the store until he became ill in 1995. His son,
Dexter, and his wife, Sarah, then took over the business which
they ran until 1997.
The store was later sold to Wanda Garrett, and became Wanda’s
Convenience in 1998. She operated this location until 2013.
“[Mr. Greening] started his first store in September of 1942. He
started with $300, and he stocked the store with $300. So then
after that he grew. He had most of his stuff come by railway from
T&M Winter Ltd. in St. John’s. So that’s how they stocked it then,
but as time progressed, we ordered from the salesmen that would
13
ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
come to the store, and the trucks would come and deliver in
later years, from different wholesalers.” –Sarah Greening
“I remember the inside of Roland Greening’s . . . you went in
and there was a counter. Now they didn’t have an upstairs, not
that I can ever remember. It was just food . . . There were a few
other things there but not like Pelley’s. Pelley’s was the big
one.” –Reginald Penney
“This artifact I brought in here, that was a rack that the paper
roll went on. We had to wrap parcels first when I started at
the store. Everything had to be wrapped and tied with a piece
Roland Greening’s c. 1964. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
14
ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
of string, and then break off the piece of string. Everything was
wrapped in brown paper.” –Sarah Greening
“The store is located next to a graveyard. We had one lady that
worked, and she would never work on Friday night. She didn’t
want to work on Friday night, she didn’t like it there because we
were next to the graveyard and she said she used to hear noises .
. . knocking noises and stuff.” –Sarah Greening
“First when we operated, you’d never hear tell of a break-in.
That was out of the question. We never had a break-in until we
started selling beer, and we had several then. They would break
Paper roll holder from Roland Greening’s. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
15
ROLAND GREENING &
SONS LTD. (1942-1997)
into the warehouse and steal so many dozen beer. But that would
be it, they wouldn’t wreck stuff. They’d just break the door open
somehow and get their beer and that would be it, until the next
time.” –Sarah Greening
“I was sad when we closed. I had been there a long time. I went
there in ‘65 and we closed in ‘95, that was thirty years. So it was
sad when that happened. We would have liked to keep it going but
it was just impossible to keep it going. Couldn’t afford to be paying
clerks, and it was too big to do ourselves.” –Sarah Greening
Wanda’s Convenience. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
16
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
Daniel Pelley arrived in Port Blandford in 1900 from Trinity
Bay. Daniel’s son, Bart, who would later take over the Pelley
enterprise, was born in 1908. Daniel began building the Pelley
empire in 1901 when he established a sawmill at Port Blandford.
Between 1906 and 1919 he built four schooners. He established
his first store in Southwest in 1920. In 1936, he moved locations.
His business later expanded to Benton and Lewisporte.
D. Pelley Ltd. was the largest shop in the community, selling
everything from groceries, to dry goods, furniture and lumber.
The Pelleys remained a prominent family in the community for
many years. D. Pelley Ltd. operated until the 1970s when Bart
Pelley passed away.
D. Pelley’s. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
17
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
“Oh it was always neat because when you walked in there was
always a counter there, and there was always people like cutting
cheese or wrapping up ham or slicing ham. They would have
the big sheets of paper, hauling it off, and the roll of string, and
they would be wrapping it up and tying it around, or they would
be filling up boxes. So you would look around downstairs, and it
was all groceries. Then you could go upstairs and wander around
by yourself. So if you wanted something, you went downstairs
and then somebody went up with you to serve you, or sometimes
when you went up there there might be someone up there serving
someone else. But it was always kind of nice to go upstairs because
you could always poke around and see all kinds of different things,
and you could try on high heel shoes then and nobody could see
you because you were only young and you weren’t allowed to
have them, but you can try them on because there was nobody
else up there. So we would all go up and walk around in high heel
shoes thinking we were wonderful. Fashion was upstairs. Food
downstairs and fashion upstairs.” –Linda Bennett
“Joyce, Marie, Ina, Doris, and me [worked at D. Pelley Ltd.] . . .
We all kind of served anybody and if they wanted to go upstairs
then we went up. And we had to draw up kerosene oil, had to go
outdoors in a little place. If anyone wanted kerosene oil we had
to go out and draw up a gallon or two, whatever they wanted.
Then the store across the road was a place for storing things,
and a lot of times we had to go over there. They had furniture
and floor covering and even caskets. I used to be afraid to go
over there.” –Patsy Peddle
18
“There was a crowd from Bunyan’s Cove and Charlottetown. The
men came up for their winter supplies of everything. My first day
there was the day they came up. Needless to say I was petrified so
I had one man served and partway through the groceries he said,
‘I want to go upstairs my dear.’ And I said, ‘Okay, fine.’ So we were
halfway up the stairs and he said, ‘My dear, I want some underwear
for my wife.’ Well I said, ‘Okay sir. What size do you want?’ ‘Oh,’ he
said, ‘The size that fit miss arse.’ I just about died. So I said, ‘Okay. If
I get through this I might make it.’ So we went downstairs, and we
still had the groceries because they had a winter’s supply. He was
at it and later on my brother came along and he called him by name
and he said, ‘You know you’re going to have to hurry up. We close
at six.’ Now this was nine o’clock in the morning. So anyway my
brother took him out in the back, we had barrels of beef out there
and he got his beef for him and he helped me get him situated. I
finally got out with the rest at six o’clock.” –Patsy Peddle
“Well going into Pelley’s store - it had a character. Sort of old
fashioned, the counters and shelves lining the walls and down in
the back was an office where the owners seemed to be always in
there. The clerks, of course, who worked there, and the face-to-face
relationship that you had with the clerks going into the store
is much more personal than it is today because you would ask the
clerk, or I would anyhow, perhaps if you were looking for something
and they would go and get it and put it on the counter and check it
out for you. Not with a computer or even a calculator or, I’m not sure
what they used then, but I’m sure the brain was used in a different
way than it is today by the clerks. And the scales, of course, for
weighing things on the counter. Weighing meats and bologna,
things like that. So the store itself had a different atmosphere.
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
19
There were no aisles as you would see in the supermarket type
places we have today. Most groceries were in shelves built in the
back or on the sides of the store, and in the back there might be
some dry goods articles, nails, screws and things like that. Maybe
some clothing as well, boots. But Pelley’s store certainly had a
great influence on Port Blandford over the years because they
were the main merchants. You know people - not only living here
in Port Blandford but outlining communities relied on Pelley’s for
whatever they needed. A credit system was certainly used. Not the
cash and carry as we have today.” –Reginald Penney
“My dear, I was there for a while and the phone rang and I
answered the phone and this customer said, ‘Have you got any
beer cappers down there?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m sorry.’ ‘Are you
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
D. Pelley Ltd. c. 1940 with Mary Greening, Frank Garrett; & Gertrude “Gertie”
Guppy out front. Photo courtesy Pansy Leyden.
20
sure you’ve got no beer cappers?’ ‘No I’m sorry.’ ‘Well now,’
she said, ‘That’s a funny thing because people told me Pelley’s
had beer cappers in quart bottles.’ And I said, ‘Oh! You wanted
bakeapples.’ ‘Yes, yes my dear. That’s what I wanted.’ ‘Oh,’ I said,
‘I’m sorry. We do have bakeapples here.’ I was thinking about a
beer capper, and then when she said in the bottles, all of a sudden
[it clicked].” –Patsy Peddle
D. PELLEY LTD
(1920- C. 1970)
Viola Greening behind counter at Pelley’s c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
21
R.E. POWELLS
(1915- ?)
Roland Ewart Powell came to Port Blandford as a Game Warden,
presumably in the early to mid-1940s. After the death of Johnny
Stares in 1947, he married Pearl, Johnny’s widow, in June of 1948.
Johnny and Pearl’s store was attached to their home, which was
renamed R.E. Powell after the two were married.
The Powells were general dealers in Port Blandford, supplying
groceries, gas, glass, canvas and much more. Like other businesses
R.E. Powell’s. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
22
of their time, supplies were delivered by train, until roads con-nected
Port Blandford to other towns and the goods began to
arrive via truck.
Powells was possibly the first business to operate a modern gas
pump at Port Blandford, having to start the diesel to pump gas
in a manner similar to today. Previous to this, gas and oil were
pumped by a manual pump, from a forty-five gallon drum, into
containers ranging in size from a gallon to five gallons.
A custom at Powells was that all feminine products were to be
wrapped and tied before being placed on the counter.
Although other stores may have cut glass for windows and
doors, several people distinctly remember going to Powells for
glass to repair a window or to build a new window or door.
One of the deceitful methods to bring additional revenue was
to have a piece of wood placed in the bottom of a gallon jug, that
was used to measure molasses. Molasses would cover the wood
and the customer was not aware of the lesser amount received.
Mr. Powell told this story to many people in his later years.
The Powells also operated a small farm and sold vegetables
to people in the area. Some of the workers would prepare their
lunch at the store. The vegetables were free, however, staff were
expected to pay for the meats because the vegetables came from
the farm but the meat had to be purchased by the store.
R.E. POWELLS
(1915- ?)
23
HAYLEY’S
“I remember teenage years more than younger years. Younger
years, we stayed with my mother’s sister, and she passed away
when I was about twelve. Then after that then I stayed with my
other aunt, Aunt Triffie. I remember more those years because I
had another cousin, Linda Garrett and Audrey Blandford from
Gander, and they used to come to Port Blandford and I’d come. So
we would all get together, and we’d all walk down the road when
Peddle’s had their store, and Hayley’s had their store and their
movie theatre. We’d come and go to the movie at Hayley’s. Well it
wasn’t really a theatre it was kind of in their house. It wasn’t a big
theatre.” –Linda Bennett
Sarah Greening (left) and Linda Bennett (right). Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
24
DAVIS’ SUPERMARKET
(1965-?)
“The best thing I liked about them, they were the first store that
had the carts, the grocery carts. And people would take a cart
Davis’ Supermarket.
25
DAVIS’ SUPERMARKET
(1965-?)
Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
and go in and pick up their groceries, and all you had to do was
write it in the book.” –Mary White
26
MARY’S CONVENIENCE
(1977-1984)
“The store I had, first it was a restaurant. It was opened in ‘64. Then
after the restaurant closed up I turned it into a grocery store and
that was back in ‘77. So I had the store until ‘84.” –Mary White
“When I had the store, my kids were only small. I remember one
little one used to come out and there was a drawer there and
they’d pull out the drawer and lie down and go to sleep. But they
used to help, when they got bigger, they used to help stack the
shelves and that.” –Mary White
“I remember when I used to have a pail of salt pork I used to
always phone [Evelyn’s] father when I opened a pail of salt pork.
He used to come over and get his salt pork. He’d have about ten
pounds. He loved his salt pork, didn’t he? He always wanted the
thickest piece in the barrell.” –Mary White & Evelyn Penney
Evelyn Penney and Mary White. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
27
SUSIE WEBBER’S
(? - 1960S)
Susie Webber’s is believed to be one of the oldest houses in Port
Blandford, most likely built in the early 1900s. In the past, there
was a store attached to the house, but it has since been demolished.
Jake Efford remembers rolling a drum of kerosene from the
freight shed at Southwest to Susie’s store. He was paid twenty
cents for his help.
Jim Leyden recalls going to Susie’s store one day to purchase
something for his mother. He was owed a penny, but Susie didn’t
have the proper change. Jim decided he would ask for a kiss
instead of his change.
Edith Clouter remembers buying loose biscuits from a wooden
biscuit box at Susie’s Shop.
Susie Webber’s House. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
28
FRANK & IDA PEDDLE’S
SNACK BAR
“[There were] two operations out of this building – Andy, the
father of Frank, operated a hangout with a pool table & games.
[He] sold a small amount of convenience items and beer. After his
retirement, probably mid 70-years-old, his daughter-in-law, Ida,
[and her husband] Frank ran it as a convenience store. This was
done out of the right side of the building.” –Calvin Efford
“You would go down and buy a bag of chips and a soft drink, or a bar
and a soft drink . . . There was music there. Sometimes there was coke
cartons and you could sit down for a while. It was kind of a hang out
and everybody went there after supper.” –Linda Bennett
Frank and Ida Peddle’s Snack Bar. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
29
EARLY SHOPS
“The first known store at Clode Sound, in the late 1880s/early
1890s, was believed to be owned by the railway and run by a man
named Carmichael. It was thought to be located in the present
day wharf area. In the early 1890s, two other small stores, one
owned by Joseph Stone, formally from Catalina and the other by
Frank Stares, formally from Portland, B.B. operated in the same
general area. Fred Stead operated a store in the mid /late 1890s
until his death from a sawmill accident in 1899. These stores
carried basic items such as flour, sugar, and nails. The method
of payment was mostly on credit, paying their bills in the fall and
spring, or when the railway compensated the workers.
In 1903, Clode Sound was renamed Port Blandford and the next
reference to a store is in 1906, when on Oct.11th a wedding party
was held at the store of Mr. A.M. Stares.
In 1908, Lovell's Gazetteer of British North America has the
population of Port Blandford as 300 people with 2 stores.
The 1911, McAlpine’s Maritime and Newfoundland Gazetteer
records Port Blandford as a post and money order village in
Bonavista district, with 4 stores.” –Calvin Efford
“Mr. William Mitchell died suddenly at age 70. In 1892, he was
a storekeeper headquartered at Clode Sound.” –The Evening
Telegram, April 4, 1917
“Fire totally destroyed the hotel and store owned by Mr. S.R.
Oakley at Port Blandford (under management by Mr. J.R.
Courage).” – The Evening Telegram, March 20, 1922
30
COMMUNITY SHOPS
“Right by the corner of School Road, Frank and Ida Peddle, they
used to have a snack bar there. We used to go down there in the
nighttime. I can remember going to Roland Greening’s store, and
I can remember I used to love to go to Pelley’s store when we came
down because they had upstairs, and you could go upstairs and
they would have all the shoes. You could try on shoes, and it was
really fun to go to Pelley’s. That was one of my favourite stores.
We didn’t go to Powell’s store a whole lot, but I can remember the
store that Sid and Edith Matthews had up in southwest. I don’t
really know what the name of the store was but the nickname of
the store that everybody used to call it was the Big Six. They used
to have just a little convenience store where you could buy little
candies and chips and soft drinks and things like that. I can’t
remember that one a whole lot. I can remember that one a little bit.
But Pelley’s was the big store I remember most.” –Linda Bennett
“[In 1971 there was] D. Pelley Limited. Pelley’s store which was
the biggest store, the main one. They carried groceries, dried
good, odds and ends. Just a bit of everything I guess. And there
was Roland Greening’s, Ida Peddle’s, Mary White’s, Stella
Greening’s. There may have been a couple of smaller ones that
I just can’t recall right now but these were the main ones. So
probably six or seven.” –Reginald Penney
“I can remember Frank and them had that take out or the
snack bar, and I remember Powell’s and Pelley’s and Roland
Greening’s. Oh, and Gertie Lock used to have a store on the top
of Lock’s Hill and I can remember going in there a few times.
I’m sure there were more than that but those are the only ones I
can remember.” –Linda Bennett
31
COMMUNITY SHOPS
“Sometimes people would have a little store that would be
attached to the house that they lived in. I guess you would call it
convenience stores today. There are two or three that stand out
here that weren’t stand alone stores they were attached to the
house that the person owned.” –Reginald Penney
“Ida Peddle’s, that was one that stands out. From a teaching
point of view, I remember that the school that I taught in, Roland
Greening’s store was not far from the school. So back then there
wasn’t the structure that there is today with meals in school, so
very often at recess time students would run down to the store
and come back with their junk food or whatever they wanted
to buy for recess. The rules weren’t quite the same as where
students could go and couldn’t go like you would have now. It was
a much more relaxed atmosphere.” –Reginald Penney
Josie Pardy & Joyce Clouter c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
32
SHOPS AS
COMMUNITY HELPERS
“If [Roland Greening’s] ran out of butter or milk, just send up to
the other store and they’d lend us one until we got our shipment
in. It was good.” –Sarah Greening
“Mr. Bart Pelley, he was the owner and operator, although he
had his office manager, who was a sweetheart, Aunt Lossie.
They were the kindest people ever. I remember when I was about
ten, my dad had to go into the sanitarium in St. John’s, he had
tuberculosis, and it was just mom and I, my brother hadn’t been
born then and my sister was in the hospital . . . so when my dad
went into the sanitarium he was in there eleven months. And
at that time there was no welfare, you couldn’t run out and get
welfare every two weeks. So it was just Mom and I, and with the
relatives we had and Mr. Bart Pelley, we survived. My mom said,
many times, that we would have starved to death if it wasn’t for
Mr. Pelley.” –Sarah Greening
Employee’s of D. Pelley Ltd. Back row, left to right: Marie Greening (White), Lossie Harris,
Ina Harris (Hoskins). Front row, left to right – Patsy Peddle (Greening), Joyce Clouter
(Adams), Doris Peddle. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
33
THINGS WE SOLD
“We had to cut our own cheese. There was a big round cheese
cutter for cutting with. The blade came down in the middle and
we had to cut off whatever cheese we wanted and then we would
wrap it in wax paper and weigh it up and then that would be
ready. When we got ready then we would mark it in the book for
whoever wanted it.” –Patsy Peddle
“Apples, I suppose and oranges. Maybe bananas as time went
on. I’m not sure about any other [fruit]. Grapes maybe. But
certainly not the variety that you would have in the super-market
now.” –Reginald Penney
“You could buy some types of clothing, footwear, and paint.
Some building supplies, hardware, [and] some basic necessities.
Plumbing supplies. Pelley’s in particular. Electrical, things like
that. As time went on these things increased, the amount you
could buy like that because there wasn’t as much need for it back
years ago.” –Reginald Penney
“We used to have to skin the cheese, the big round one. It used
to be into a cabinet, and you’d have this big cleaver, come down
and cut out the piece like you want right? And we had these big
slabs of bacon. Bacon was in long slabs. We used to put that into
a cutter and slice it off. And we’d do that with our ham. One
would be cutting it and the other would be packing it in wax
paper and wrapping it up, putting it on the tray and carrying it
in the fridge.” –Viola Greening & Joyce Clouter
“I can remember Mr. Greening ordering in fresh salmon, that was
a big thing then. When he’d have fresh salmon in, people would
34
THINGS WE SOLD
Carnation milk and brown paper roll. Colin Greening and Jackson Greening. Photo
courtesy Joyce Clouter.
35
THINGS WE SOLD
Weight Scales that were used at D. Pelley’s. Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
36
THINGS WE SOLD
have their orders in. ‘I need two pound, I need three pound.’ I
used to hate those days. We used to have to cut up the salmon,
weigh it and wrap it up.” –Sarah Greening
“In the early days, [Mr. Greening] used to sell coal. Because
everybody burned coal in their stoves, along with their wood.”
–Sarah Greening
“We used to have to weigh up coconut, everything like that
we’d have to put in little bags and weigh it. Walnuts, cherries
. . . anybody wanted a pound you’d put it in until you got to the
pound and if you went over the pound you’d have to take it out.”
–Viola Greening & Joyce Clouter
“Basically everything [was sold at Roland Greening’s], except
then there was no frozen foods because there was no fridges. No
electricity in Port Blandford at that time. So it was mostly canned
foods. They did sell bologna and cheese. I remember the bologna
used to come in boxes and it was packed in salt. They had dried
goods, basic things, towels, face cloths, cup towels and underwear
for women and men and children. Babies clothes.” –Evelyn Penney
“[Pelley’s] used to sell kerosene oil, and that’s one of the things
that I hated to do. Mom would give me this can about that
high. I’d have to walk, you know, where the hill is, down over
the hill. I’d have to walk from my house, out over the hill and
up to Pelley’s, bring down a can of kerosene oil for the lamps.
That was a vivid memory for me of Pelley’s store. They also had
delivery but mom wouldn’t send up just to get a can of oil, I had
to go do it. ” –Sarah Greening
37
“There might have been powdered milk, but you couldn’t buy
fresh milk. Bought that from the farmers then. There was no
fresh milk. Now in the later years that I worked there there were
of course, but not back in the beginning. There was canned milk,
that’s how we fed all our babies. Carnation.” –Sarah Greening
Viola Greening (left) and Joyce Clouter (right). Photo by Katherine Harvey. 2017.
THINGS WE SOLD
38
STORE HOURS
“[Roland Greening’s was] usually 9-5. And they’d open probably
on a Friday night . . . we never opened on Sundays because Mr.
Greening was kind of a religious man. He didn’t want that. So we
still worked Monday to Saturday. Saturday we were open. But that
was it.” –Sarah Greening
“You worked 9am - 6pm on weekdays, and 9am - 9pm on Sat-urdays.”
–Joyce Clouter
Josie Pardy c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
39
RECEIVING PRODUCTS
“In the beginning, when
Mr. Greening started,
he used to have his su-pplies
come up from
the station. He used to
order it from St. John’s,
it would come by train,
and he would have to go
up to the station with
horse and cart, and
bring it to the store.”
–Sarah Greening
“Of course, all those stores depended on trucks that would
come from larger centres to supply them with their groceries
and things they needed to sell in store, and you don’t see as
much of that today. Different trucks that would drive from
Conception Bay or wherever to supply the stores. Stop to the
store and drop off whatever they needed in terms of groceries
keep them stocked I suppose.” –Reginald Penney
“National Wholesalers in Corner Brook was a big dry goods
supplier that we used to buy from. And there were several in St.
John’s. And Atlantic groceries, in the last few years, were our
sole supplier of groceries.” –Sarah Greening
Warren Miles c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
40
HOME DELIVERY
“[In 1971] Pelley’s still had
a man who used to deliver
groceries to people’s homes.
They would phone in their
order and he would drive
around in his truck and drop
off their groceries. I suppose
seniors more so than other
people but yeah that was still
done.” –Reginald Penney
“[People] would buy their
groceries once a week, and if
they ran out they’d be coming
to get more. We used to take
orders, pack orders, and
then the delivery men would
deliver it to their door. They
wouldn’t come to the store.
Lots of times they wouldn’t
come to the store. They’d phone in their order, and we’d go pack
the order. Then the guy who was on delivery would take it to their
house.” –Viola Greening & Joyce Clouter
“[Pelley’s] had a delivery man. My brother Jackson Greening and
there was Ron Holloway and Alfred Tucker. That wasn’t all the
same time but on different years.” –Patsy Peddle
Jackson Greening c. 1960.
Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
41
CREDIT SYSTEM
“Usually people would come to us when they were on the
unemployment in the Winter and had no money, so we would
charge to them, which they couldn’t do in Clarenville. Then in
the springtime when they’d go back to work, they’d go back to
Clarenville and get their groceries again.” –Sarah Greening
Irene Pardy & Viola Greening c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
42
CREDIT SYSTEM
“We had to write it all down in a bill book. There was a cash
register but these people had their winter supply and then they
came in the spring and paid for it. You could ring in a sale on it
and that was it. The bills went out on the end of each month. The
bill would be sent out for them to pay for it.” –Patsy Peddle
“People would come get their groceries, and we would charge
it up to them in a bill book like this. And when they get their
cheque or whatever in two weeks time, or a month’s time,
sometimes we’d extend it to a month, usually a month. Then
they’d come pay for their month’s groceries and then they’d
order up again.” –Sarah Greening
“[When we had problems getting money from people] we’d just
say that they couldn’t have anything else. Mr. Greening, he was a
very kind man, and like he went to his grave and there’s still people
that own him money. But that’s just - you forget about that after a
period of time. There’s just no way to get the money and that’s it.
But usually most of them, when they knew they had to come back
and get other things they might pay $100 or $200, and finally they
would pay off their bill. Most people.” –Sarah Greening
“Most general/convenience stores opened ‘charge’ accounts for
customers. At the end of the month these were totaled and put
on a statement manually. As cash registers were only used for
cash sales, such things as sales tax had to be taken from these
books, all added together along with any sales tax on the cash
register. That would be the remittance to government for taxes
for that year.” –Sarah Greening
43
SHOP OWNERS
“Roland Greening, the man who owned the store, was the first
mayor of the town when I got involved [in municipal politics]
and after he stepped down after one term then I took his place
as mayor but I remember him quite well. So he was not only
a merchant but he was involved in the municipal part for a
while too.” –Reginald Penney
Roland Greening in front of his parent’s house c. 1960. Photo courtesy Sarah Greening.
44
SHOP OWNERS
[Mr. Pelley] was a good man, easy to get along with. I don’t think he
ever charged interest to anybody. He kept people supplied all winter
long and they’d pay like in the spring when they get work, and he
never charged interest or anything. He was good to everyone in
Port Blandford, even outside of Port Blandford, like Charlottetown
and Bunyan's Cove.” –Evelyn Penney & Mary White
Bart Pelley standing on his father, Dan Pelley’s,
shoulders. Photo courtesy Pansy Leyden.
45
SERVICE
“For the most part the clerks would pick up the items that a person
wanted to buy and lay them on the counter and check them out.
[In] ‘71 there may have been a little bit of self serve depending
on what you were looking for I guess. No shopping carts. I don’t
remember any shopping carts.” –Reginald Penney
“[Greening’s was] about the same as Pelley’s but on a smaller scale.
The counter, and the scales, and well they had freezers then for the
frozen food items and ice cream and things like that. You still had
to deal with the clerks face-to-face. I think you could maybe pick
up some of your things yourself in that store but most of the stores
were generally the same character type thing. It was personal.
That’s the thing I think that stands out the most is the personal
atmosphere that you had with the clerks and that. If you went in
you might have a chat about something else that was going on
besides picking up your grocery items. I’m sure there were lots of
bits and pieces of gossip exchanged.” –Reginald Penney
Reginald Penney. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2017.
46
CUSTOMERS
“Usually [people] would come to the same store. Pelley’s had
their customers, we had ours. And like where people lived closer
would be where they would go.” –Sarah Greening
“Fred Higgins, every Saturday morning, he’d be down, wouldn’t
he? With his big list. Come stand up and say, ‘will you pack it?’
And [you’d] ring it in and he’d pay for it and it would go up on
delivery . . . and Reg Peddle, you’d always know what time he was
coming. Certain people like that you could almost set your clock
for when they’d come.” –Joyce Clouter
Patsy Peddle and Joyce Clouter c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
47
CHRISTMAS TIME
“Christmas was a big thing. We had a big shipment of Christ-mas
toys and things. And that went pretty well for a long period
of time until we got our Walmarts and different places in
Clarenville.” –Sarah Greening
“It used to be a bit busier at Christmas time. And that’s the time
you’d get your grapes, we always had the barrel apples, but grapes
was a specialty for Christmas.” –Evelyn Penney & Mary White
Front left to right: Patsy Peddle, Josie Pardy, Joyce Clouter. Back left to right: Irene
Pardy, Viola Greening. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
48
TODAY
“Well you get served faster now in stores, because back years ago
you had to write everything down in a bill book. But now you just
go fast through the computerized stuff. But everything is cash
now, debit or credit card.” –Evelyn Penney and Mary White
“We don’t have any stores now except for a couple of con-venience
and gas stores that operate basically on the TCH.”
–Reginald Penney
Don Blackmores Service Station and Restaurant c. 1960.
49
SPECIAL
Thanks
• Linda Bennett
• Tyler Chatman
• Joyce Clouter
• Calvin Efford
• Calista Greening
• Sarah Greening
• Viola Greening
• Brittany Holloway
• Patsy Peddle
• Evelyn Penney
• Reginald Penney
• Port Blandford Heritage Society
• Jillian Skiffington
• Mary White
Lossie Harris c. 1960. Photo courtesy Joyce Clouter.
50
The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is
a nonprofit organization which was established in 1984 to
stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the
architectural heritage of the province. The Foundation, an
invaluable source of information for historic restoration,
supports and contributes to the preservation and restora-tion
of buildings of architectural or historical significance.
The Heritage Foundation also has an educational role and
undertakes or sponsors events, publications and other pro-jects
designed to promote the value of our built heritage.
The Heritage Foundation is also involved in work designed
to safeguard and sustain the intangible cultural heritage
of Newfoundland and Labrador for present and future
generations everywhere, as a vital part of the identities
of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and as a valuable
collection of unique knowledge and customs. This is achieved
through policies that celebrate, record, disseminate, and
promote our living heritage.
51
The Oral History Roadshow is a project to empower
and encourage seniors to showcase their memories
through a series of public oral history night celebr-ations,
with funding provided through New Horizons
for Seniors.
Research and design made possible through the
Collective Memories Project, an initiative of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Heritage
Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, with
funding provided by the Department of Children,
Seniors and Social Development.
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador
1 Springdale Street
St. John’s, NL Canada A1C 5V5
Visit online and listen to audio recordings
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